Ukrainian authorities and Armed Forces are not planning to evacuate residents from areas within Russia's Kursk region now controlled by Ukraine's armed forces, said Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, during an interview with Radio Liberty.

"There are no current evacuations of Russian citizens to Ukraine," said Kostenko. The lawmaker emphasized that in the villages now behind the Ukrainian lines, no active combat is taking place, and people are continuing with their everyday lives.

"A command center led by General Eduard Moskalev has been established there to maintain order and ensure essential services," noted Kostenko, adding that, according to the Geneva Conventions, a state controlling occupied territories is responsible for everything occurring there, including the welfare of the local populace.

Kostenko highlighted that locals have the opportunity to move from the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Kursk region to areas under Russian control. However, Russian forces could either allow civilians to pass or possibly attack them "en route." He pointed out that in areas experiencing conflicts, civilians generally do not move through those zones.

The MP insisted that there's no threat from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) to Russian civilians, nor a need for them to flee.

"For Russians on the occupied territory, I see no threat that necessitates their departure from their homes or any mistreatment against them," he stated.

Kostenko suggested that any potential threat to local residents would stem from Russian forces if Moscow decided to send in additional troops or launch airstrikes, similar to what has been observed in Ukrainian cities. This danger would not come from Ukraine, but from Russia itself.

Previously, Kostenko mentioned that among the local population remaining, many are Ukrainian speakers.

  War in Ukraine, Kursk, Sudzha

Comments